European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 7, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 c the stars and stripes sunday july 7, 1991 americans bigger threat than soviets japanese say Tokyo apr nearly a Quarter of the japanese believe the United states has supplanted the soviet Union As the top threat to their nation a newspaper said Friday. Some 24 percent of respondents to a Survey conducted last month by the mass circulation yom Iuri newspaper said the United states is More of a threat to Japan than the soviet Union the newspaper reported. Two years ago in the last poll of this Type the soviet Union was named the top threat by 33 percent of respondents while 11 percent said the United states topped the list. This year the soviet Union was cited by 22 percent of the 3,000 randomly selected respondents As the country a chief threat. North Korea China and South Korea were named As the next most threatening countries. Younger respondents were More wary of the United states than their elders with 33 percent of those in their 20s citing the United states As the country from which Japan has the most to fear. Some 27 percent of respondents in their 30s cited the United states As the top threat while 24 percent of those in their 40s and 19 percent of those in their 50s made the same observation. Relations Between the United states and Japan have eroded Over Trade frictions and . Discontent with Japan a role in the persian Gulf War the paper quoted unidentified analysts As saying. At the same time the end of the cold War has diminished the danger posed by the soviet Union the analysts said. Japanese polls usually do not include margins of error because pollsters believe their inclusion would make the samplings seem More scientific and accurate than they really Are. Floating Granite perplexed children touch a massive Granite Ball that turns slowly As it floats on a thin layer of water in a Park in Singapore. The trick to the sculpture by Swiss artist Ueli Fausch a gift from Switzerland to Singapore in the water not the 1,584-Pound Ball. Its pumped with enough pressure to keep the. Ball afloat. Pamplona festival begins Pamplona Spain apr thousands cheered As Pamplona a mayor fired a rocket at midday saturday to kick off the we Klong running of the bulls fiesta made famous by author Ernest Hemingway. The traditional a sch Pinazo Quot rocket shot up from the town Hall Balcony overlooking the main Square of the City whose population of 200,000 was expected to double for the fiesta. The mayor Alfredo Jaime dressed in the traditional White outfit with red Bandanna and Sash shouted a Viva san Fermin a a in Honor of the City a Patron Saint and the festivals namesake. Hemingway used the annual san Fermin festival As a setting for his 1926 novel the Sun also rises and the books Success immediately began to draw thrill seekers from around the world. The fiesta revolves around the daily morning run of six bulls from a pen through the cobbled streets to the City bullring when hundreds of people mainly Young men test their Mettle by running ahead of the bulls and the six steers that accompany them. The runs were to begin today at 8 . And go on every Day through july 14. The bulls Are killed in afternoon bullfights. The festivities continue non Stop for the week after the rocket is fired with merry makers drinking dancing and singing in Honor of san Fermin. Freak storms strike England London apr lightning killed a Man disrupted communications and damaged Homes As violent storms raged Over parts of England on the first warm and sunny saturday of summer after weeks of Leaden skies and incessant rain. An ambulance Crew in Manchester said they found the body of Simon Macgregor 26, who was killed while fishing. They said a Young boy accompanying him escaped injury. Weather recording stations reported one third of an Inch of rain fell in 15 minutes in Northern England and fire brigades said Homes were damaged and some set on fire by lightning in the counties around London. Manchester a fire brigade said roads collapsed and sewage  the streets when sewers and drains were unable to Cope with the rain. British telecoms reported Telephone services in the Manchester Region were disrupted by lightning and Power was Cut off to thousands of Homes. Manchester police said hundreds of burglar and fire alarms were set off All Over their District by lightning. World nuclear weapons test conducted by France from wire reports Paris a France conducted its fifth nuclear weapons test of the year at its testing site on an atoll in the South Pacific military Headquarters said. A the Energy released by the explosion Friday at Auroroa was equal to less than 10,000 tons of int a relatively Small blast in comparison with the rest of Frances testing program. On May 30, France detonated a device with a Force of 100 to 13 j Kilotons which the defense ministry said was one of the Quot most powerful Ever in the program France has announced its tests since last year when it reversed a 15-year period in which it maintained silence and the tests were disclosed by new zealand monitoring stations. France says it needs to conduct six to eight tests a year to ensure the effectiveness of its Independent nuclear  admits fraud London a a youth who posed As a stockbroker admits he bought a Swanky Home and Jet setted around Europe during a nearly $1 million spree of fraud and deception a Mark Acklam 18, appeared thursday at inner London Crown court where he admitted to the theft of a credit card and three charges of obtaining Money property and a mortgage by deception Between Jan. 31,1990, and May 1990. Prosecutor David Fisher said Acklam persuaded one of Britain a largest savings and Man associations to give him a $745,600 mortgage to buy a House. He tricked two former teachers into investing $28,800, stole his fathers credit card which he used for an $17,600 spending spree and flew around Europe with his friends in a private Jet Fisher said. Acklam who dropped out of private school 18 months ago was freed on undisclosed bail until aug. 2. .6 die 6 Hurt in crash Edinburgh Scotland a five children and a woman were killed Early saturday in a three vehicle crash on a single Lane stretch of Road shrouded in thick fog police and fire officials said. Four adults and two children were injured some seriously the officials said. A John Hood a senior officer with the Lothian and Borders fire brigade said visibility was Down to 20 Yards when a Van collided  minibus and a Sedan on the a1 Highway just outside Macmerry near Edinburgh. The 25-year-qld woman and the children who died were apparently sleeping or lying Down in the Back of the Van which had no seats he said. Officials said the children who died were girls aged 3, 4 and 14 and boys aged 3 and 6. The injured children were a 6-year-old girl and a 6-month-old boy. None of the victims was. Identified. A Lothian and Borders police spokeswoman said the cause of the crash was under investigation. Amp Outing turns tragic Clermont Ferrand France a double Decker bus carrying Hospital workers and their families Home from an amusement Park smashed into a tractor trailer truck saturday killing seven people and injuring 37, authorities said. The collision which ignited a fire occurred about 2 . On a curved Section of a two Lane Highway near the City of Clermont Ferrand in Centra France. Authorities said the trucks trailer apparently swerved out of its Lane and into the path of the oncoming bus. Among those killed were the bus Driver and a 10-year-old boy. Seventy seven of the passengers aboard the bus were employees of la Fellete Hospital in Correze. The other passengers were family members. They were within 30 Miles of Home after returning from an Outing at Sterix Park an amusement Park near Paris. -